The Rose Who's Petals Turned Black
by King of Knights and Heroes
Summary: Ruby gets captured during a mission in quadrant seventeen, separating her from the rest of her team. When her location is discovered and a rescue mission is mounted, things take a turn for the worse.
1. Chapter 1

**Heeey everyone. So... I'm about to screw with your heart again. I know that I promised that my next story would be about the romances we fans support as told in my last story, which you should go read right now if you haven't before you do anything else (WARNING: YOU WILL CRY WHEN YOU READ IT. NOT FOR WEAK OF HEART. BUT READ ANYWAYS.), but this came up beforehand.**

 **This is going to be relatively short I believe but I think it'll be enjoyed anyways. In any case, you should be fine for the first few chapters but soon enough you will see murderous fight scenes that will tug at your heart strings. The next chapter will be out either tomorrow or the day after. No chapter on Christmas but I might make a separate Christmas special.**

 **I hope you enjoy this but many of you will likely be pissed off at me and I completely understand. Twice now I have tugged on your heartstrings by doing something to Ruby and the second time around I think it's going to be worse. Also, I will likely be rewriting some of these chapters just to improve the quality. Just so you know I do have the time because I started my two week Christmas break this week. Whoot whoot!**

 **But without further adieu, I present to you, chapter one of The Rose Who's Petals Turned Black (like you don't already know that you'll hate me for what's going to happen to Ruby).**

 **Ruby**

I bounce up and down on Weiss's bed uncontrollably feeling like I'm going to burst any moment. "Seriously, Ruby. Calm down," the white haired heiress says from right next to me.

I jump up and turn to face her. "I can't calm down though! We get to go on a mission today! As actual Huntresses! I mean, we won't just be shadowing a Huntsmen, we get to accompany a Huntsmen!"

Weiss looks up at me from her spot on the bed and smiles. Instantly I get a jittery feeling in the pit of my stomach. "True, though we're technically still in training. We just get a taste of what it's like to be certified," Blake says from her perch on her bed above Weiss's.

"That doesn't mean it won't be any less fun," Yang says from Blake's lap. Last year my sister and the faunus had started dating. "Besides, we get to be real Huntresses after this last year at Beacon."

"Only if we pass our third year examination," Weiss interjects. "If we fail, we repeat this year."

Yang leans over her bed and looks at Weiss, shoving her butt into Blake's face at the same time. "Oh don't be such a downer. We passed the end of year exam last year and the year before. We're sure to pass it again this year."

"But don't forget that this is supposed to be the hardest exam. Even Team CFVY didn't pass it," Weiss argues. Yang just reaches out a hand and flicks her forehead.

"I told you to quit being such a- eep!" Yang squeals and tips forwards off of Blake's bed, slamming onto the ground next to me. I quickly look up at Blake who's wearing devilish grin.

Yang leaps to her feet and glares at Blake. "Hey!" The brawler jumps back up onto the bed tackling Blake. The two wrestle for a brief moment before Yang pins Blake to the bed, forcing her arms on either side of her head.

They stay like that for a moment until Yang breaks the silence. "Ruby, Weiss. Would you two mind leaving the room for a little bit? Blake and I will meet you at the amphitheatre."

Weiss starts to get up, asking, "What? Why do we need to leave the room?" She turns and sees Yang on top of Blake. "Oh."

I roll my eyes and grab Weiss's hand. "Come on. We should leave the two of them alone for a little bit." Their relationship has been, passionate, to say the least. Weiss happily follows me out of the room, not wanting to be there when they get started.

Moments after we shut the door moans float out into the hallway. "We should give them some space," Weiss says. I agree and the two of us walk down the hallway together.

Halfway down the hall I realize I'm still holding the heiress' hand. Quickly I let go feeling the blood rush to my face. I stare down at my boots feeling almost as my face is steaming in embarrassment.

"Ruby? Are you listening to me?" My head snaps up and I look at Weiss.

"What? Yes, I was listening. The weather is very nice today!" I give a nervous laugh trying to play it off. My laughter dies down and there's an awkward silence hanging in the air between the two of us.

Weiss places a hand on her hip and stares at me. "You're such a dolt you know that? I asked what you want to do, we probably have a half hour before they decide to call us down."

"Oh uhhh, I'm not sure. There's not a whole lot to do really… Ooh! I know! We could go spar for a little bit. I mean if Yang and Blake are getting some exercise we should too and the locker room has a shower."

Weiss goes red and stiffens up and I realize the double meaning of what I just said. "Wait, I didn't mean that we, uh. I just meant that we have a sparring match and that there are showers so we can shower and not be all sweaty."

"No no, I know what you meant," Weiss says. "But yeah, sure. Let's go." Weiss and I walk through the school hallways in awkward silence. My right side prickles with Weiss next to me and I barely keep from throwing up.

Not the bad sort of throwing up but throwing up in excitement. Weiss and I hardly ever get any alone time and I relish every second of it. Once we reach the locker rooms, Weiss and I rush to our lockers.

I strip down out of my school uniform, acutely aware of Weiss undressing right next to me. I quickly open my locker and dress into my battle clothes. I also grab my new cloak and pull it over my head.

I grab Crescent Rose and clip it to my back. I also pick up my new weapon: Moonlit Rose. A cross with a blade designed to extending from the bottom of the cross back two feet behind my elbow set on one arm of the cross.

The bottom length of the cross serves as a gun barrel. I pick it up by the other arm of the cross, resting my pinky on the trigger. I marvel at it still unable to believe how light I was able to make it.

I pull my hood up and turn to Weiss who's dressed and has Myrtenaster sheathed to her hip. I grin, my hood shadowing my face for a creepy effect. "Ready?" I ask.

Weiss nods and we walk out of the locker room heading for the arena. We take up positions on either side. Weiss unsheaths Myrtenaster and takes her stance. "And… Go!"

Weiss leaps forward and stabs at me. I sidestep easily dodging. She spins around and speeds to a stop right in front of me. She lashes out multiple times and I easily dodge each stab. I jump into the air and flip around to hang in the air behind Weiss.

I level Moonlit Rose at her back and pull the trigger. The white haired fighter disappears and a crater takes her place. Moonlit Rose's gun has the force a shotgun plus a sniper rifle.

Sensing Weiss behind me I spin on my heel and raise my arm to block a slash. A series of clicks sounds and I quickly move backwards just in time to escape burst of fire. I reach and unhook the blade of Moonlit Rose.

It falls to hang in the air, connected to the cross by a chain. I lash out but Weiss blocks the strike. However the blade wraps around Myrtenaster trapping it. I yank on it and pull Weiss off balance.

I drop Moonlit Rose and grab Crescent Rose. I extend it into scythe mode and leap forward. I slash downwards, purposefully overswinging so that I hit Weiss with the shaft.

Even so it pounds her to the ground. I revert Crescent Rose back to sniper form and hook it to my back again. I extend a hand to Weiss and she takes it. I pull her up saying, "Good fight."

"It's so annoying how I can't beat you still. That new chain scythe of yours is so hard to fight back against. You block it and you get disarmed. Dodge and you just change the trajectory."

I grin. "Why I like it so much. Plus the gun is more powerful than Crescent Rose's sniper rifle." I nod to the crater in the ground a few feet away.

Weiss looks over at that and snorts. "Lucky that was dust and not a real bullet, it would have killed me." Instantly I pale and clench my hand. The thought of killing Weiss…

She seems to notice my unease and quickly says, "But it was dust so the most it would have done is give me a bad bruise. Especially with my aura blocking most of the damage."

I nod meekly and turn away from her. "We should go shower. The third years are going to be called down soon." I sprint out of the arena trailing rose petals, strip, and jump into the shower before Weiss even enters the locker room.

I sink to my knees in the shower and silently let tears slip out of my eyes. I never meant to try and kill Weiss, I just was reacting during the fight and didn't think about how badly I could have hurt her…

I almost throw up but I swallow back the bile. "Ruby? Are you okay? You've been in there a long time," Weiss yells. I rise to my feet, not having realized how long I was sitting under the hot stream of water.

I turn it off and call back, "Yeah I'm fine, I just really love hot showers."

"Okay," Weiss yells uncertainly. "Well hurry up, we're going to be called to the amphitheatre soon. I'll be waiting for you outside."

I step out of the shower stall and grab a towel to dry myself off with. I quickly rub myself down and then run through the locker room to get dressed.

I throw my dirty clothes back into the locker promising myself to wash them later. I dress myself back in my school uniform, put away Crescent and Moonlit Rose, and then skip out to find Weiss leaning against a wall. "Ready," I say, my usual happy demeanor back in place.

Weiss smiles at me and nods. She pushes herself off the wall and together we start trekking across the school towards the amphitheatre. We walk in silence again but this time it's more peaceful than awkward.

The intercom clicks on and Glynda's voice floats through the air. "Will all third year students please report to the amphitheatre for mission assignments." There's a click and then the intercom shuts off.

I squeal, "Weiss! We're going to be late! Come on!" I start running leaving the heiress to chase after me.

"Ruby! Wait! Slow down a little bit!" Weiss cries out.

I spin on my heel and run backwards to gleefully smile at her. "How about you speed up Weissy?"

She frowns at my nickname for her and says, "Don't be such a pest and quit showing off." I just smile even wider. Weiss gets a sly grin and a white glyph appears beneath her feet.

Suddenly she's gone and nice breeze touches my cheek. I spin back around to find Weiss turning a corner. "Ohh so that's how it's going to be then huh?" I pour on the speed and reach the corner in a moment.

I easily make the turn and I laugh. Just a year ago I had so little control over my semblance still that I would have planted myself into the wall just then. I see Weiss ahead of me and force myself to try and catch up to her.

I manage to catch up to her and from behind say, "Cheater! You never said we would race!" I scare Weiss enough to make her stumble though she manages to stay on her feet.

"You dolt! Do you know the burns I would have had if I tripped right there!" Weiss demands, looking at me over her shoulder. I laugh and just pour on even more speed easily passing Weiss.

The two of us sprint across the school, Weiss using her glyphs and me using my speed. I laugh as we run able to feel the adrenaline pouring through my veins.

The two of us reach the amphitheatre in no time and I skid to a stop, Weiss two steps behind me. "I win!" I shout, throwing my arms into the air. Other third years who had already arrived give the two of us looks. "Ack!"

My head snaps forward with the force of Weiss's smack. "Didn't I tell you to quit showing off you dolt?"

I turn to Weiss. Despite her words and harsh tone, a pleasant smile lingers on her lips. I grin and say, "You're just a sore loser."

Weiss looks away and says, "Maybe." I see her look at me out of the corner of her eyes and smile. She turns back to me and stares into my silver eyes with her pale blue ones. We stand there for a few brief moments before Weiss hesitantly opens her mouth to say something.

"Ruby!" a voice calls from behind me. I look over my shoulder to find Blake and Yang walking through the sparse crowd towards us. My sister waves at me and I spin to wave back.

The brawler and the faunus stop in front of us, both seeming to glow. "You two seem particularly happy," Weiss comments.

"Well yeah, sex tends to have that effect on people. You two should try it sometime," Yang teases. The blood rushes to my head and I bury my face in my hands, shaking furiously.

"What!?" Weiss exclaims. "Never! I would never try such a vulgar thing. How dare you even suggest it!"

"Oh just ignore her," Blake interrupts. "She's only kidding. You two are so innocent. Though she's not entirely wrong." I squeak and can almost feel my face steaming for the second time today.

Luckily Ozpin's voice sounds throughout the large amphitheatre ending the conversation. "Students." Everyone in the room instantly stops talking and turns to the stage. "All of you here are third year Huntsman and Huntresses in training."

"At the end of the year, as you all know, all students are required to take a test that determines if they are ready for more advance training. Everyone here has completed that test, twice. That speaks volumes of your abilities."

"It proves that each and every one of you are extremely skilled fighters. Not only that but the reason you all have, while different for each individual, was determined to be worthy of a true Huntsman or Huntress."

"We all signed up to fight monsters and to protect the people. But that is what we do, not why we do it. We all have reason for why and that reason is what drives us in our lives."

A feeling of pride swells within my chest and I stand up straight. "You are the best of the best. Today, we expect you to show that. This is the final, assigned mission of this year."

"However, this is not just any mission. On the mission you choose today, you will be accompanying a Huntsmen as equals. You will be receiving a taste of what it's like to be a true Huntsmen or Huntress."

"Once you come back, you will all be able to finish your final year at Beacon and prepare for your examination. If you succeed, this taste will become a reality. That will be all. You may now go choose your mission."

Ozpin nods and takes a step back from the microphone, moving to stand next to Glynda. The entire amphitheatre erupts in applause and hoots and hollars. "Come on," I say, grabbing Yang, Blake, and Weiss by the collar.

I start dragging them over to the mission boards, pushing my way through the sparse crowd of other third years. "We need to hurry up and get in line! Otherwise all the good missions will be picked clean!"

The three of them struggle but I keep an iron grip on their collars until we're standing in front of the white screens. I let them go and they all stumble away, coughing and rubbing their neck.

I scan the board looking for a good mission while my three teammates recover. "You don't have to be so rough you know," Yang says.

I keep my eyes on the board and reply, "I don't have to but it's more fun when I am." Down towards the bottom of the board I see Quadrant Eight: Investigate White Fang Rumors. "How about this one?" I ask, pointing at the mission.

The White Fang had gone from bad to worse, becoming a terrorist group and attacking not only dust shops and trains but public locations as well.

Yang, Blake, and Weiss all take a look at the board and one by one they turn to me and nod. Smiling back at them I reach down and touch the screen. A series of beeps sound and then the mission is replaced with Please report to airstrip tomorrow morning at 8:30 and a green checkmark.

I look back up to the rest of my team grinning. I look at Weiss and she meets my gaze with a soft one of her own. "You two are so in love," Blake says.

Both Weiss and I turn tomato red and I quickly try and deny the fact. Weiss stares down at the boots keeping her hands clasped tightly together. Blake raises an eyebrow and Yang just laughs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there my faithful readers! First of all I want to apologize for not having posted yesterday and earlier today but Christmas plans took up more time than expected.**

 **But back too this, this chapter brings us to the brink of the heart tugging. Next chapter Ruby is going to face some horrible events and the rest of her team will be fractured and broken... It's fun when I get to mess with people like this... I hope (key word there) that chapter three will be out tomorrow or the day after.**

 **No definitive plans though. Sorry. :/ But as always, and without further adieu, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Might bring some angst and anticipation to all of you out there.**

Ruby

I skip out of the school the rest of my team following behind me. "This is going to be so much fun!" I gleefully say. "I wonder what Huntsman we're going to be accompanied by."

"Why hello girls!" a cheerful voice says from behind. I spin around and find Doctor Ooblek standing in his archaeology outfit. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

I squeal. "Doctor Ooblek!" I think back to the first time I went on a mission with the professor two years ago. I had been horrified at the time but ever since he told me his reason for being a Huntsman I've looked up to him.

"Ah, hello Ruby. Good to see you again! Why it was just two days ago that I saw you in my classroom wasn't it."

"Professor-"

"Doctor," he interrupts.

"Ooblek," Yang continues. "We're going on this mission with you?" The doctor nods and Yang laughs. "This brings back memories."

"Painful memories," Blake says.

"Fun memories," I say.

"You mean you actually had fun getting fighting almost nonstop, getting captured by the White Fang, and almost dying in the biggest fight of our lives?" Weiss asks incredulously.

I turn to her and raise an eyebrow. "You didn't? I actually thought it was a lot of fun." I cross my arms and look down at the ground, pouting.

"Yes yes, that's all very good girls but according to my schedule we are… Actually right on schedule. But only if we leave this minute!" Doctor Ooblek races past us sprinting to the airship.

I laugh and chase after him leaving the others behind. I beat him to the airship and jump into the air in victory. The Doctor skids to a stop and breathily says, "I see you've gotten much faster Ruby."

I turn to him grinning wildly. "You betcha," I reply. I look past him wondering what's taking the others so long. "Come on you three! Hurry up already!"

"Oh hold your horses," Yang calls back to me. "We aren't all hyperactive, caffeinated chipmunks like you two are!"

I roll my eyes. "Yang says she's a thrill seeker but she's soooo slow when it comes to actually doing anything. So where's this place that we're going anyways?"

"That can wait. First, I have something to talk to all of you about. Something that you should all hear," the Doctor solemnly says. I frown wondering what could be so important.

Finally everyone gathers together within the airship and the door slides shut. There's a rumble and then the ship slowly rises off the ground. "Doctor," I start, "What's so important that you need to tell us?" I ask.

"Sit down ladies." He motions his head to the row of chairs alongside the opposite wall. We look at each other wondering what's wrong. Slowly we make our way to the wall and take a seat.

"Now then, as you likely remember on our last mission two years ago I asked each of you what your reasons were for being Huntresses." We all nod, clearly remembering the experience. "But I believe that I only ever told your leader why I chose to a Huntsman."

Three heads turn to me in surprise. I meekly scratch the back of my head. "First though, I want to hear your reasons for choosing to be Huntresses again. I am aware that you must state your reason during the Exam but I have not heard them since our last discussion in Mountain Glenn."

"Yang, let's start with you again. Why do you wish to be a Huntress?"

"Well, I used to be selfish. The only reason why I wanted to be a Huntress was because I'm a thrill seeker. But now, it's more than that. I still want a life where I don't know what's going to happen but I want to help people more."

"Two years at Beacon have taught me that there are people out there who look up to us. They count on us. Like an older sibling. And I would do anything to protect my family, no matter the cost."

Ooblek nods and moves on. "Ms. Schnee?"

She takes a deep breath before answering. "Dust would be my reason. As a Schnee, I stand to inherit the largest company of Remnant. That is a lot of power for any one person to hold. Too much in fact. I know that first hand."

"I want a world where wars over dust don't need to be waged, people killed, officials kidnapped. That needs to stop. As a Huntress I'll truly have a chance to change things. To help make the world a better place."

"And you Blake. You told me that there was too much corruption and strife in the world to simply sit by and do nothing. What do you say now?"

"Well, the gap between humans and faunus is growing wider by the day. When I was younger I heard stories of the Huntsman. They're the most noble warriors in the world."

"I want to bridge the gap between humanity and the faunus. Huntsman and Huntresses are looked up to and respected so as one, I'll be able to make a real impact on the world. Hopefully bring some peace along way."

"Very good. I am proud of all of you. I believe that you have what it takes to become Huntresses. I know it to be true. Now to tell you my reason." I frown having wanted Ooblek to ask my my reason but know that it won't do any good to interrupt him.

"Weiss!" Ooblek shouts. Our heads all snap back the Doctor. "I want you to describe to me what it was you say in Mountain Glenn."

The heiress is silent for a moment before answering. "Lots of ruined buildings, grimm, empty streets..." She looks at him wondering what he could possibly be getting at. I smile knowing what he's leading up to.

"I saw lives that could have been saved." Everyone straightens and blinks, clearly surprised to hear that from the flighty teacher. "As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people who aren't equipped with the means of protecting themselves."

"I may be capable of doing just that with traditional means of weaponry, but I believe that I can make a much larger impact, if I do it with my mind." I turn to my team who are all entranced by Doctor Ooblek's words and smile.

"As a teacher, I have the opportunity to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it into the hands of every student that comes through my classroom."

"I look at that wasteland and others like it and I see lives that could have and should have been saved. But I also see an opportunity, a chance to learn from these tragedies, and therefore become stronger."

"I am a Huntsman girls, because there is absolutely nothing else in this world, that I would rather be." Everyone stares at him in awe, not having expected such a speech from Ooblek.

"Now then!" he shouts, breaking the trance. "We have a very dangerous mission ahead of us. We will be heading to another expansion of Vale like Mountain Glenn but it's not nearly as famous."

"What's supposed to be so dangerous about it? It's just like the mission we went on two years ago," Yang questions.

"Not quite," Weiss answers. "This time the White Fang, if we do find them, will undoubtedly try to kill us if detected. They're a terrorist group now; much larger and much more dangerous."

"Exactly! The concentration of grimm is likely to be much higher this time around due to a higher concentration of people harboring ill intent. If detected by the White Fang, if they are in fact here, we will likely have to fight a battle on two fronts."

"In addition to that," I add. "There's no telling how long this mission will take. Unlike when we had to clear out grimm we don't have a set time table. We could be here for weeks on end or if we get lucky, it might be two days."

"Weeks?" Blake exclaims. "Do we have enough food for that long of a trip?" she asks, directing her question to Doctor Ooblek.

"Yes. The airship is loaded up with enough food for six weeks if rationed correctly. However, if we don't find anything within a month, I alone will have the power to decide if we stay or if we go."

"That's not including the danger of grimm attacks," Weiss interjects. "They don't have a need for food but they could easily ruin our supplies."

"Which is why we will be hiding the ship upon arrival. The pilot will stay with the ship and has the capability to fight off grimm using the ship's onboard weapons. We should have nothing to worry about."

With that we spend the rest of the flight in complete silence, each of us reflecting upon our own thoughts. The ship starts descending and each of us tense up in anticipation. We have no idea of what to anticipate.

I resist the urge to pull out Crescent Rose though the weight is suddenly apparent to me. Even Moonlit Rose, which hardly weighs anything, feels incredibly heavy from it's spot above Crescent Rose.

The ship comes to a rest and the door slowly slides open. "Alright ladies. Let's move out. The pilot will take care of hiding the ship. Grab a bag of supplies. If we need more we can attempt to make our way back to here."

The Doctor motions his head to a heap of bags close to the door. I grab an enormous bag and step out of the airship. I blink in the sudden sunlight and take a moment to survey the ruins of the city.

I hear the rest of my team step out onto the cracked asphalt. "Alright team. Let's move," I say. I take in a deep breath and spin around to face my team. "This is going to be fun," I add.

"I wonder how long this is going to take," I muse breathlessly. I pull myself up to my feet leaning on Crescent Rose. "Six weeks of this is going to be tough." We had spent all day traversing the city and slaughtering grimm endlessly.

"Uggh, six weeks?" Blake groans. "Just let me sleep." I look over at her and see her lying face down on the floor of the building we're in.

"I second that plan," Yang calls.

"Thirded," Weiss complains.

"Why yes, I believe that to be an excellent idea," Ooblek says. "You girls set up camp in here. We appear to be in a favorable campsite. Your leader and I will go secure the perimeter and ensure that there are no nearby grimm. Come on Ruby."

Ooblek darts out of the building and I groan, forcing myself to follow after him. "Incredible, to see the day when Ruby Rose is out of energy," Weiss says.

"I'm just wondering how that guy has so much..." I moan. I straighten and jog out of the building wanting to get a perimeter check over with so I can go to bed.

Ooblek stands a few feet away, peeking his head into other buildings and ruins. "Ruby!" Ooblek whisper shouts. "Come quickly!" I perk up suddenly alert and jog over to him hesitantly reaching for Crescent Rose.

I come up behind him and peek into the building. "What's wrong?" I ask. "Did you find something?"

"Yes, I believe I may have. Take a closer look inside of here." I squint through the darkness trying to find what Ooblek finds so interesting. I notice a dark smog rising to the ceiling and my eyes widen in shock.

It's grimm smog, the vapor that rises from disintegrating grimm corpses. "But we never searched this building."

"Yes, exactly. There shouldn't be any other teams here which can mean only one thing. Rumors of the White Fang residing here appear to be true."

I rest a hand on my scythe worried about who may be close. "Quickly Ruby, we should go back and warn the others not to start a campfire. It could give away our position. Let's go."

The two of us run back to the drab building we chose to squat in, a sense of urgency in both our hearts. We come around the corner and the three girls all look up surprised to see us both.

"That was fast," Yang comments.

"We may have a problem," I say. Instantly they all sit up straight. "We found possible evidence of the White Fang. Nearby. That means no campfire."

They all look at the small pile of wood that was set up between them. "Wait," Blake says, standing up. "Does that mean we should even be staying here? We should move farther away right?"

"Nonsense child!" Ooblek says. "We've already made camp. As long as we don't build a fire we should be fine. Now, who's going to take first watch?"

Yang slowly raises an arm. "I don't mind going first as long as we get to eat."

"Ooh yes, food please." I sink to my knees, my sudden rush of adrenaline leaving my body. I crawl over to the heavy backpack I've been carrying around all day and pull out a pre-packed dinner.

"I don't care if it's cold I'm just hungry," Weiss says tiredly. We all hurriedly eat and roll out our bedrolls. I lie down pull my blankets over my head. Even with how tired I am it takes forever for me to fall asleep. Who knows what tomorrow's going to bring.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three. Here it is. I sort of hate myself. You'll understand why towards the end of the chapter. Speaking of which this is one of the longest one. Let me know what you think.**

 **On the topic of what people think of my work I have a few responses to make, one of which named to a guest commenter by the name of L and the other by a no name guest commenter. First I'll reply to the points that L made, and if you chose that name based off of Death Note, I applaud and thank you.**

 **1) Sorry about the ships but I wanted to use them and it helps to screw with the heart strings even more. You'll understand why I have to at the end of this chapter. 2) Sorry about the typos. I've attempted to get a beta reader but any that cater to my needs for this story don't have a PM system and the ones that did have not yet replied.**

 **3) Thanks! I figured that I couldn't really put in a three year time skip and leave them with the same abilities now could I? And about Moonlit... you might not like what happens in next chapter. 4) I agree with the idea about the White Fang as the terrorist group being a good idea. 5) AGREED. NO STUPID RAPE SCENES.**

 **Now to reply to the other anonymous reader who commented. 1) Thanks for that, I forgot that it was four years and not three. I fixed that on the document I use to type it up and it should be posted in a revision tonight.**

 **2) When it comes to weapons, I figured that Ruby needed an upgrade when it came to close quarters combat. All the characters of RWBY got an ability upgrade. I would have shown Yang and Blake's in this chapter but didn't have the chance with how it played out.**

 **3) As stated above, there was a three year timeskip in which everyone gained much more fighting skill and abilities. So sorry to the fact that you don't like it but don't worry because I just gave you something else to be pissed off about.**

 **Now in other news: I think I'm going to have two more chapters. Think. I know how the rest of the story will play out just not how many pages of writing it's going to take. I also hope to get the next chapter out not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, but in TWO whole days! I think that's the pattern we've observed so far.**

 **And as always, and of course without further adieu, here is chapter three. It's going to begin the process of breaking your heart into tiny pieces. The next chapter will seal the deal I believe.**

 **Ruby**

"Hey, Ruby. Wake up." I open my eyes with Weiss kneeling over me. "Your turn for watch." I sit up and stretch out my back feeling the series of pops.

"Mmm, that felt good." I rise to my feet and continue to pop the bones in my body. "You go and get some sleep. Do I have the last watch?

"Yep," Weiss answers. She stands up and stumbles over to her empty cot and crawls back inside. I stare at her for a moment feeling a bundle of nerves in the pit of my stomach.

I force my mouth open and quietly say, "Hey Weiss."

She turns to me with half lidded, sleepy eyes. "Mhmm?"

I make my way over to her and sit down in front of the white haired girl. "Can I ask you something?" I stare down at my crossed legs afraid that my cheeks might be flushed.

"Sure. What about? Make it fast though, I'm about to fall asleep," she adds, lying down and pulling a blanket over herself.

"Well… I've sort of been meaning to talk to you about something for a while now. I'm just not sure how you're going to react when I ask you."

I bite my lip trying to rid my body of the feeling like I'm going to dissolve. "It has a large part to do with you. Well, it _is_ about you actually. I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this..."

I take in a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, this past year whenever I've been around you I always get really nervous. But a good sort of nervous! Weiss… I-I think I might l-lo-like you. A lot."

I slowly look up when she doesn't respond to me. "Weiss?" Her eyes are closed and her chest rises and falls in a rhythmic pattern. I laugh quietly. She's already fallen asleep.

I smile down at her and think to myself, "Soon. I can just wait until the end of this mission. Then I'll tell her how I truly feel." I stand up and unhook my scythe taking up a position by a hold in a wall away from the others.

I'm glad that I was woken up for last watch. I also enjoy using the hours in the early morning for self-reflection. Most don't know that I get up early in the mornings like this.

I sit there in the darkness watching various grimm go by through Crescent Rose's scope. The light slowly breaches over the horizon and spears into the building through holes and cracks in the walls.

I jump up to my feet and work the knots out of my body before going to wake everyone else up. It takes a few minutes for everyone to get moving but soon enough Oobleck has us ready to move out.

"Alright girls," he says in a quiet tone. "We need to be extremely careful from this point onwards. Please attempt to keep all sound to a minimum. Let's go."

We nod and march out of the building we spent the night in. Doctor Oobleck and I lead the other three down the street where we discovered the dead grimm the night before.

Slowly we make our way through the next portion of the city, warily watching our surroundings looking for any signs of the White Fang. We turn a corner and stop in shock. Grimm lie all along the street, their corpses already starting to disintegrate.

"What the hell..." Blake whispers. "Who did this? There must be dozens of dead grimm here."

"Stay on guard," Weiss reminds us in a quiet tone. We creep down the street jumping at everything that moves.

"Something's wrong," Oobleck says. "It's too quiet. By the state of decay of these grimm those who were responsible can't be too far away. Which means we should be able to hear them."

"You're right," I agree. We continue to creep down the street until Oobleck suddenly shoots out an arm and pushes us back.

"Wait!"

"What's wrong?" Weiss asks, her head snapping around looking for a threat.

"I'm not entirely sure..." he says, taking a small step forward. His thermos extends out into it's flamethrower mode. Oobleck slowly raises it above his head and then brings it down like a hammer.

It suddenly rebounds and Oobleck goes flying backwards into us knocking everyone down. "What the hell was that!?" Yang exclaims, pushing the rest of us off of her.

The Doctor stands up and readjusts his glasses. "Remarkable… That was a dreadful experience. Simply dreadful. But quite enlightening. Girls!" We scramble to our feet and stand at attention. "I believe that I may have found the terrorists we're looking for."

"What do you mean?" I ask. "Found them where?"

"Step forward, cautiously, with your hand outstretched. Tell me what you feel." I do as he says and my hand comes upon a crackling barrier. I stiffen in surprise at the unexpected feeling.

"It feels like… Like a..." I close my eyes and try to put a name to the feeling. My eyes snap open and widen in surprise. "It feels just like an aura."

"An aura? That's not possible," Yang comments. "Here, let me see." She steps forward and thrusts her hand out to touch the invisible shield. She moves too quickly though and the force field sends her flying backwards.

She cries out in pain and instantly Blake and I are at her side. "Yang!" Blake worriedly shouts. "Are you okay?" She's biting her lip and cradling her left arm, evidently trying not to cry out in pain again.

"Damn, that thing really hurts. I think my arm is burned," she manages to get out.

"It burned through _your_ aura?" I ask in disbelief. "Let me see." I manage to peel her arm away from her chest and take a closer look. "Damn..." I breathe. Her forearm is smoking but otherwise fine. Her hand however is another story.

The skin is charred and blackened and her hand keeps twitching involuntarily. "Oh geez, this is really bad." I look up at Doctor Oobleck and say, "We need to get Yang back to Beacon before this gets infected."

He nods. "Agreed. We should attempt to move quickly though. I doubt that our intrusion has gone unnoticed."

"It's over this way!" a voice shouts from the other side of a building to our left.

"I believe our time is up. Hurry, help Yang up and run! We need to hide before we're discovered." I help pull my sister up off the ground and pull her along, holding onto her good arm.

We almost make it down the street and around the corner when from behind us a man shouts, "There they are! Get them!" Moments later bullets whiz past our heads and we dive around the corner.

"Hurry! Keep going! If we stop they'll catch us," Weiss warns. "I'll slow them down and catch up in a minute!" I nod to her and she spins around going back the way we came.

"She'll be fine, she'll be fine, she'll be fine," I chant in my head, forcing myself not to turn around and chase after her. I risk a glance over my shoulder relieved to see her stopped and focusing on a glyph.

A row of knights appears out of thin air and step in front of Weiss, facing the corner where the White Fang goonies are bound to appear any second. She then stabs her rapier into the ground and a glacier rises out of the ground leaving the knights on the other side.

She spins on her heels and sprints after us. I slow down to meet up with her and grin. "I almost feel sorry for them, having to go up against your White Knight Legion."

"Yeah well, it won't hold for long. I can still only keep up a summon as long as it stays within a one mile radius. That means we have roughly six seven minutes and breaking through that ice wall probably won't last for long."

"You're such a pessimist," I jokingly tell her. "This would actually be fun without the impending danger of being shot like animals and if Yang hadn't burnt her arm."

Weiss rolls her eyes and I laugh."You dolt," she says. "Just keep running. I'd rather not be caught by them."

"Alright alright. Come on, we should try and catch up with them." I grab her wrist. "Jump in three...two...one!" I burst forward in a rush of speed as Weiss jumps off the ground and we're in front of the others in a second.

I skid to a stop and slow to match the other's pace. Weiss yanks her arm out of my grasp and stumbles, nearly falling down. She rights herself and shakily says, "God, I hate when you do that."

I laugh and keep running. It's always fun seeing Weiss flustered. "Come on! Keep running!" I yell to the others. White Fang members suddenly spill out a side street cutting off our escape. "Shit!" I curse under my breath.

"Turn left! Now!" Oobleck yells. I throw myself to the left not knowing what's to my left. I dive into an alleyway and sprint through it popping out onto another street. We weave through the city trying to escape the people chasing us.

"Crap crap crap crap crap!" Yang mutters. "We can't shake these guys! What are we supposed to do? If we go to the airship now we'll never be able to take off and we can't stay to fight them! There are too many!"

I frantically survey our surroundings looking for a place to hide. "In there!" I point out a building in fairly good condition. "We can hide and maybe try to wait out the search."

"Chances of success of your plan working are extremely small," Oobleck says. "But they're better than the chances of our current course of action so let's go!"

We sprint to the building and break the door in, hiding in the shadows of the large house. "I hope this works," Yang whispers. A deep growl emits from the darkness. "Oh dammit," Yang says, moments before a grimm leaps out of the shadows and smashes us through the dissolving wall.

The sudden sunlight blinds me as the walls of the building collapse around us. I pry my eyes open finding a beowolf snarling over my sister. Yang has it by the throat and holds it at arm length with her one good hand. "Can I get a little help please?"

I stand up shakily and unhook Moonlit Rose from my belt. I jump forward jutting out with my elbow. The blade sinks into the grimm's side, killing it almost instantly, and shove it off my sister's body. "There you go."

"Thanks sis," Yang says and stands up. She smiles at me thankfully and then her eyes widen in shock. "Damn, I really cannot catch a break today," she groans.

I turn around and see a multitude of White Fang members barreling down the street. A beowolf howl resounds across the city streets. "None of us can," I add on. I hook Moonlit Rose to my belt and unhook Crescent Rose.

"This is truly going to suck," Blake says.

"Congratulations on the understatement of the year Blake," Weiss caustically retorts. "We should try and take cover in the ruins of the building. Avoid close combat at all chances, use any ranged abilities.

I smile seeing Weiss's brain in action. "You heard the lady," Oobleck says. "Into the building ladies." I start firing at the group of White Fang members as I slowly back myself into the building.

Soon the five of us are all cowering behind large piles of rubble, peeking our head out for moments at a time to attack the onslaught of the White Fang.

Yang uses her long range shells with her one ember celica causing minor explosions. Oobleck throws fireball after fireball while Blake aims carefully with her Gambol Shroud in its pistol form.

Weiss just keeps summoning soldier after soldier that race forward and hack their way through the White Fang. Sweat drips off her chin and she's clearly exhausted by the continued use of her semblance.

"Ohh, we got grimm coming!" I warn as I see a writhing mass of black bodies come barreling down behind the street from behind the White Fang.

I duck back down and wipe sweat off my forehead. This is not looking good. "We can't start here, we'll be over run. Our only chance is to make a break for it," Blake says.

"She's right," I agree. "We should try to run as soon as the Grimm meet up with the White Fang. That's going to be our best chance to escape. Weiss, you're going to need to summon a shield bearer to cover us."

The others nod in grim determination. I peek back over the makeshift barricade watching carefully. The Grimm slam into the ranks of White Fang and the Faunus terrorists scream in pain from the Grimm's claws and teeth.

"Alright, let's go!" I yell and jump up. A flickering glyph appear on the ground and a knight in armor bearing a shield almost as large as itself rises out of the glowing symbol just in time to stop a spray of bullets.

"Be more careful you dolt!" Weiss yells at me.

"Please, you should know telling me that does no good by now," I say with a small laugh. My smile fades when I see her kneeling and supporting herself with Myrtenaster.

She meets my worried gaze and nods trying to tell me that she's all right. She pulls herself to her feet and sheathed Myrtenaster. "We should get going, this one's not going to last long."

I nod and our small group starts to run, the immense soldier that Weiss summoned following closely behind, blocking the bullets that chase us. The glowing white soldier begins to flicker and I sharply look at Weiss.

She barely manages to stumble along and her face is scrounged up in concentration. "Weiss! Are you okay?" I ask, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I-can't- hold it!" she cries out right before the shieldbearer vanishes in a flash of light leaving us completely exposed.

The others spin around in surprise with the sudden disappearance of Weiss's summoned soldier. "Blake!" Yang suddenly shouts. "Move!" She body slams Blake to the ground moments before a bullet tears its way through her stomach leaving a massive hole.

My sister looks down at her stomach in confusion and shock. She falls to the ground without a sound. "YANG!" Blake screeches. Horror makes me freeze for a moment and then anger takes control of my body.

I spin around and look for the sniper, easily finding him on top of a building. I aim down Crescent Rose's sight and fire. The sniper disappears, replaced by a red mist. "Get Yang out of here!" I shout.

I aim down at the White Fang members again and fire repeatedly, slowly backing up and covering Blake, Weiss, and Oobleck as they move Yang into a building. I duck inside and rush to my sister's side.

Blake desperately presses her hands against the gaping hole. "Dammit Yang! Wake up! I swear if you die on me I'm going to bring you back to life and kill you myself!" she yells.

Her eyes flutter open and she weakly gives a thumb-up. "I'm alright, don't worry about it. It does hurt quite a bit though."

Weiss is collapsed next to her breathing heavily. "Well shit," the heiress says. "How the hell are we supposed to get out of this one?"

I lean against the wall and slide down. "That's a really good question. There's no way we can get out of here without your summons and you're too tired to make any more."

We sit there in silence for a moment, the air filled only with heavy breathing. "I believe that I may have a course of action."

"Well lay it on us Doctor," Yang says.

"As Ruby so aptly put, we are unable to make our escape without Weiss's soldiers to cover us. But we don't truly need Weiss's soldiers. The main component here is someone to cover us."

"Wait, Oobleck," I interrupt. "What are you talking about?"

"Girls, I want you all to make a run for it. I'll stay behind and cover your escape."

"No, unacceptable," I say standing up. "We aren't leaving you behind." The other girl's voice their oppositions to Ooblecks stupid idea.

"I'm sorry but you are leaving me behind," Oobleck firmly says. "Just hear me out. I'm an old man girls. I've had plenty of time as a Huntsman but you, you all have years ahead of you."

"We said, no!" Blake exclaims. "No one is being left behind!"

Doctor Oobleck takes off his glasses and solemnly looks at the four of us. "Girls, I have spent years as a Huntsman and I'm getting on in years. All of you however, have years left as Huntresses."

We sit there quietly before Blake finally agrees. "Fine. Do whatever the hell you want."

I spin to Blake appalled. "Blake! How could you say that!?"

"Okay," Weiss says, agreeing with Blake.

"Weiss!" I exclaim spinning to her.

"If that's what the man wants, let him have it," Yang says.

"Yang! The hell is wrong with all of you!? How can we just leave him behind!?"

"Ruby," Oobleck says, "Trust me, it's fine. I truly don't mind. I want this to happen."

I grind my teeth and glare at the ground. "Fine then, if you're staying behind then so am I."

"Ruby, no!" Weiss exclaims.

"This is not up for discussion!" I yell. "If Oobleck is staying behind while you all make a break for the airship then I am too. I am your team leader and you will obey by decisions! Understood!?"

Weiss stands up and walks over to me. "Ruby, I am not letting you stay behind and kill yourself."

I look her in the eye and softly say, "Weiss, I am not going to die. Like any of those bullets are fast enough to hit me."

Weiss grits her teeth. Without warning Weiss pulls me close to her body and presses her lips against mine. My eyes widen at first and then I melt into the kiss. When she finally breaks away I take in a deep breath. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for that?"

Weiss nervously laughs. "The only way that I'm going to leave you behind is if you promise to catch up to us."

I kiss her a second time trying to hold it for as long as possible. "Weiss, please. You of all people know how fast I am."

She blushes and replies, "You may be fast but you still excel at wasting time." She spins away from me and goes over to Blake and Yang. "Help me lift Yang up. I'll help you carry her out."

She helps to lift Yang off the ground and the brawler moans in pain. "Hey hey hey hey, be careful. That hurts."

"Sorry Yang. Carefull's not really in the cards at the moment," Weiss says.

I bite my lip not wanting to leave Weiss so soon. I spin around and face the wall as Weiss and Blake carry my sister out the back door of the building where it will be easier for them to get away.

Once there gone I feel Oobleck lay a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry Ruby. We both know we aren't getting back to the airship with the others."

I tear slips down my cheek and a lump forms in my throat. "I know. But that doesn't mean we can't buy them as much time as possible." I walk out of the building picking up Crescent Rose. "Let's go."

"There she is! Get her!" a White Fang member shouts. A series of loud bangs sounds and I jump to the side using my speed to practically vanish. I pull the trigger and lead forward, tears freely streaming down my cheeks.

"Sorry Weiss," I think to myself.


	4. Sorry guys

**Hey so, I bet you're all really mad and frustrated right about now. I am too. I've been trying to get this new chapter written all week but I have writer's block at the moment. Anything that I try to write ends up as complete garbage. I'm taking a break from writing to see if some time away from writing will end my writer's block. So, sorry. I hope to post the new chapter as soon as possible.**


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